Guardian
by beyondcrazy
Summary: In the middle of a feud between two desert tribes, Princess Almira discovers Ganondorf's plans of taking over her tribe and eventually all of Hyrule. She travels Hyrule Castle to warn Princess Zelda of the oncoming attack. LinkxOC


This was _perfect_.

Well, not perfect in the sense that nothing could go wrong, because, by all means, _everything_ could go wrong. No, this was perfect in the sense that something could go right. This is just the type of break they needed, just the kind of screw up that could win them this war. Ganondorf lost enough support that his battle plans were now, to everyone's shock and excitement, revealed to his enemies. They were extraordinary, and certainly insane, but the current King of the desert seemed confident enough in his methods to attempt it.

The tribes had a long history of warfare after the Hero of Time defeated the Evil King is ancient days, splitting the Gerudo into two defined tribes. One tribe continued to occupy the valley, calling themselves the "Arbiters" because they had the King on their side, therefore giving them the automatic rule over the desert. They remained faithful to the tradition of crowning a King every hundred years when a male is born, but shunned any other tradition Gerudo of past held sacred. They claimed the Arbiter's Grounds, where Ganon was executed, and most of the desert. However, they left a small portion of the desert for the exiles and rebels.

These exiles and rebels created their own tribe, having lost all confidence in the King and his methods. They called themselves the "Guardians" and swore to honor the Sand Goddess and her wishes. After the defeat of Ganon, a few Gerudo, including the sage Nabooru, tried to enforce laws of worship for the Sand Goddess, however they weren't taken easily. In fact, the other women took it to be treason and banished these heretics to the outermost reaches of the desert. There, Nabooru prayed to the Goddess to allow them to grow stronger and overthrow the next King, so the Guardians of the desert could reclaim her temple and restore the Gerudo to their former glory. The Goddess heard their wishes and granted the Guardians an oasis and many healthy baby boys. With no king required to take the throne, Nabooru claimed leadership of the small tribe and rallied forces to defeat the next King of Thieves.

Many years passed, and the Guardians grew larger in force, however, all attempts to overthrow the Arbiters were futile. The King always seemed one step ahead of the small tribe, squashing any hope they had of taking back their sacred land. No matter how much they prayed, the Guardians couldn't be granted the hero they so desperately needed. The Guardians relaxed their attacks and focused on building their tribe, taking a defensive stance. They never experienced any attacks from the Arbiters until recent years, when Ganondorf discovered the sacred oasis. The Guardians needed help now more than ever.

So this new development proved to be rather vital.

A cloaked figure approached the Guardian palace, requesting to see Queen Sehkmet, the descendant of Sage Nabooru. This shadowy person informed the Queen that more than her beloved tribe was at stake. Ganondorf planned on taking over all of Hyrule with a great new power he has obtained. The person was immediately dismissed as insane and ordered to leave the palace at once, but the mysterious visitor made an offer:

"I can help you; all I need is a messenger to bring this parcel to Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. Then, and only then, I will tell you the source of the King's new powers, and how you can stop it."

The stranger then produced a medallion, small and orange. It had the Gerudo symbol of spirit, which the Arbiters adopted as their royal emblem. This ancient artifact was housed in the Arbiter's Grounds, and couldn't be obtained by anyone other than a trusted ally of Ganon.

The offer seemed too good to be true, but Sehkmet was running out of options. The only trial now was to find a brave soul willing to trek through the desert during the sandstorm season. Many red haired, golden eyed soldiers, men and women volunteered, but none as vehemently as Princess Almira. The young girl was an outsider among outcasts, and wished more than anything to prove to her tribe that she was worthy of one day becoming queen. While the Guardians prided themselves on being outcasts and exiles, they retained the old prejudices against Hylians, which Almira's father happened to be. She stood out against the dark skinned, auburn haired children she played with, though, fortunately, her royal status prevented her from suffering any severe discrimination. Her skin was considerably paler than other tribe members, and her hair curled and grew lighter in the sun, though her most foreign feature was her striking blue eyes, her father's eyes. The other children would tease her for having such strange eyes, and while her mother strongly reinforced to her that she wasn't any less Gerudo than those children, she never felt in place.

But now's her chance! She could finally prove to her people, and to herself, that there was more to her than pale skin and curly hair. She had no doubts that she would get to Hyrule castle safely, as she'd traveled the desert many times before. She was very skilled in the spirit magic the elders taught, and owned the sturdiest horse in the desert. And although these attributes worked in her favor, the Queen couldn't help but be hesitant.

"Almira…" Sehkmet drawled, pinching the bridge of her nose, "our fortress is surrounded by Arbiter spies. Now is _not_ the time to go running off to play with those fish people!"

"Mother! There isn't anybody in this tribe that wants to do this more than me." Almira pleaded, grasping her mothers arm, "This is our chance to show those Arbiter bastards that we mean business! They won't know what him 'em!" This warranted an incredulous look from the Queen. The princess decided to elaborate.

"They won't expect us to send off our _princess_. They'll think I'm some lowly foot soldier not worth the time of day. Please, Mother, I'm the best sneak in the tribe!" This statement was false, as Ameer, her younger brother, was a far better sneak, but she attributed that to his small size and didn't feel it helped her argument. "I'm our only chance."

"You're too proud, Almira," her mother scolded, "Every move we make is vital. You can't risk our tribe by over-romanticizing the situation. We are at _war_. I will not have you waste our time swimming about with every fish person you meet along the way!"

Almira opened her mouth to plead, but she realized her mother wasn't going to surrender on this particular matter. While she knew her mother had her best interests at heart, her lack of faith was hurtful. It was true, she found the zora intriguing and swimming to be a rare delight, but she understood the severity of the situation. She was the only one capable of making that delivery, and her mother wasn't letting her fulfill her duty to the tribe.

So when the sun set on that day, Princess Almira took matters into her own hands.


End file.
